Study & Create

Keep Calm and Ask Donna

Almost daily, someone will come up to Music Reference Librarian Donna Arnold and start a sentence with, "I'm sorry to bother you..." But, really, it's no bother, Arnold will insist. Answering questions and helping with music library research are the main parts of her job. It's a job that she not only cherishes, but that others in the UNT Music Library appreciate.

In fact, Associate Head Music Librarian Andrew Justice came up with an Internet meme that reads: "Keep Calm and Ask Donna".

Arnold receives a variety of inquiries daily – one recently from a scholar in Austria is a typical example of how students, researchers and community members across the nation and abroad turn to the Music Library for help.

“I’m supposed to be able to answer any music questions – and we get questions from all over the world,” Arnold said, with a smile. “I find that having a musically eclectic background helps.”

Arnold came to UNT in 1972 to get a doctorate in musicology, which gave her extensive training in classical music research. Her personal interest in genres such as country, folk and jazz has also helped very much in this job, she said.

Another big help was that when she started working as a student assistant in the Music Library, former Head Music Librarian Morris Martin had been working there for three years already and she was able to learn from him.

“Whenever I was stumped, Morris always knew the answers. He is on a short list of the very best music librarians in the United States,” said Arnold.